One of the most awaited B2B leather industry events, the 39th edition of the India International Leather Fair (February 1–3, 2026), was formally inaugurated by Amb. Shri Jawed Ashraf, IFS (Retd.), Chairman, India Trade Promotion Organisation, in the presence of the captains of the leather industry and senior government officials. The 9th Designers Fair, organised by the Council of Leather Exports at IILF, was also inaugurated by the Chairman, ITPO.
Present on the occasion were Dr. Neeraj Kharwal, IAS, Managing Director, ITPO; Shri Ramesh Kumar Juneja, Chairman, CLE; Shri R. Selvam, Executive Director, CLE; Lt. Col. Harsh Kondilya, OSD and General Manager, ITPO; Smt. L. Bharathi Devi, Managing Director, TNTPO; Shri Vivek Sharma, MD, FDDI; Mr. Abdul Wahab, Regional Chairman (South), CLE; Shri Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, IFCOMA; Shri Brij Lal, General Manager, ITPO; members of the Diplomatic Corps, participants from India and abroad, delegates, and media representatives.
The dignitaries from overseas included Mr. Michael Hasper, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chennai; Ms. Antonietta Baccanari, Trade Commissioner, Italy; Mr. Cameron Nobel, Deputy Consul General, Australia; Mr. Adil, Australian Trade Commissioner; and others.
After opening the fair, Amb. Mr. Jawed Ashraf, Chairman, ITPO, visited the stalls and complimented all the associates for holding this edition of the IILF at an enhanced scale at the Chennai Trade Centre and its newly constructed exhibition halls. He informed that the fair is opening new avenues of growth in India’s leather and footwear industry. ITPO is committed to supporting and catalysing promotional efforts in India and abroad, especially when the country is emerging as a vital destination after signing FTAs with the European Union and the UK. After interacting with senior representatives of CLE and other apex bodies, he informed that ITPO is planning to hold a similar leather fair in New Delhi.
While addressing the foreign media, he said that Europe and India are committed to shaping a new global order to boost economic growth in leather and its allied industries by slashing tariffs on goods, enhancing the services sector, and fostering investment. Quality and on-time delivery are imperatives to improve India’s performance and strengthen its supply chain.
Prominent among the foreign media were Mr. Mario Luzon Blasco, Prensa Tenia, Spain; Mr. Mathew Henry Abbott, World Trades Publishing Ltd., UK; Mr. Stefano Migliavacca, Edizioni AF s.r.l., Italy; Mr. Carlo Leoni, Editoriale di Informazioni Settoriali, Italy; and Mr. Frederico Avogadro Di Valdengo, MPA s.r.l., Italy.
This year, the fair elicited participation from 368 Indian companies and 66 overseas participants. Germany and Italy have set up their country pavilions at the fair. Other participating nations include Australia, Argentina, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The fair is being organised by ITPO with the meaningful support of the Council of Leather Exports as the co-organiser and other associates, including the Central Leather Research Institute, Indian Shoe Federation, Indian Finished Leather Manufacturers Exporters Association, Indian Footwear Components Manufacturers Association, Footwear Design and Development Institute, and Confederation of Indian Footwear Industries.
IILF Chennai 2026 (February 1–3) is open from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm. Entry for business visitors will be facilitated through online registration via the following link: https://iilf.eventink.in/visitor.html. Business visitors can also register on-site at the fair venue through QR codes. After registering, business visitors may collect their badges from the registration counters at the venue. Please visit https://www.itpo.gov.in/iilf-2026 for more details.
